


(It doesn't have to be) complicated

by tulipsandsake



Category: Warehouse 13
Genre: F/F, Fluffy, Pride
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-06
Updated: 2014-04-06
Packaged: 2018-01-18 09:59:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1424347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tulipsandsake/pseuds/tulipsandsake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My assignment for the Warehouse 13 Holiday ficathon.<br/>Steve and Claudia take HG to her first gay pride parade.</p>
            </blockquote>





	(It doesn't have to be) complicated

**Author's Note:**

  * For [frith_in_thorns](https://archiveofourown.org/users/frith_in_thorns/gifts).



> I guess it's pointless to say that these babies do not belong to me, but just to be sure, they unfortunatelly don't.  
> This is the first time I try to write something so long and articulate in English, so I apologize for any mistake you might find. Please be kind to me? Oh, and since I've never been in the US I have no experience of how pride parades work there, so I based the fic on my experiences here (yes, the tiny train is a real thing).  
> Also, to the dear frith_in_thorns who gave the prompt, I hope you like this fic. I don't do much hurt/comfort because I try to live in denial, but hey, it's Bering&Wells!

“Really, Helena. I think you should just go, it's going to be fine”, Myka said for the millionth time that morning.

She was sitting on the sofa, still wearing her pajamas and with a blanket wrapped around herself despite the warm breeze of the summer morning. She still got cold easily, although things had been going smoothly in the past few months.. She was growing less and less tired every day, she ate more, talked more, laughed more. It made Helena's heart melt just watching her cheeks as they became fuller with every passing day.

She shuddered thinking of when she had first seen her, after the surgery. But she didn't want to think about it; she was back, Myka had taken her back and she was getting better. They still hadn't talked about the tormented attraction they had for each other, but she constantly told herself to take one step at a time.

“I will consider it. I know it would be an interesting experience, but I have yet to determine if I feel ready to go without you, darling. An old Victorian lady like myself...”

She was stopped by Myka's playful punch on her shoulder.

“There is nothing to consider, Wells. You're going. Now go get me some tea, would you?”

Helena smiled at the brunette's bossiness, leaving her fingers trail gently on the back of her hand as she got up to put the kettle on the stove. Myka was right, she was going.

 

It had been all Claudia's fault, as always. A few days prior she had found the young tech chatting with Steve at the breakfast table, moving her hands wildly and laughing out loud. It had looked like they were planning to attend a party of sort the next week and the redhead had seemed pretty excited. When she had joined them, Claudia had addressed her enthusiastically while at the same time trying to chew on a large bite of some kind of pastry.

“HG! We're going totheprideparadeyoushouldtotallycomewithhgjer-”

Steve had looked at her with a judging look but nodding all the same.

“Let me rephrase that – he had said, holding Helena's curious gaze – My friends from college invited me to a gay pride parade that's going to happen next week. For some unknown masochist reasons I decided to ask Claudia to come with me, but thinking about it I wouldn't mind the company of an adult. Would you like to come with us, HG? It would be your first time at this kind of event, wouldn't it?”

She had been stunned for a second. Steve was always so private around them and she tended to forget about his orientation.

“Yeah HG, you should totally go with us!- Claudia had interrupted her thinking -Plus we all know that you've had a woman or two in your times, am I right?”

At that she had raised an eyebrow comically, faking a scandalized look.

 

So here she was a week later, in the car with the two younger agents traveling towards something she had never seen before.

As much as she missed Myka's company (she had never left her side since she had moved back to the B&B from Boone), she had to admit she was looking forward to this. Of course she had seen documentaries and pictures from the news, but all things considered she had never even thought about going to a pride parade, not with all the things that had happened since she had been unbronzed. Being able to enjoy something as simple as a fun, carefree Sunday with her new found family now felt like the biggest gift of all.

The car trip lasted for a few hours, but it felt like nothing at all between the bickering of Steve and Claudia (those two really acted like siblings, just like Pete and Myka) and the loud music she wished she could sing along to like her companions (though she was afraid to ask Claudia for some sort of suggestions regarding modern music, aware that it would turn into a massive pop culture lesson she wouldn't in any way be able to keep up with). When they reached their destination, she could tell from the desperate lack of parking space that it would be a crowded event.

In the end they found a place to leave the car and Steve led them towards a tall building that probably housed offices of some sort. Right in front of the glass doors there were two men probably around his age that started waving in their direction the moment they saw them.

Introductions were made quickly: the two young men were Steve's college friends, Carlos and Mark. Carlos and Steve had been roommates for a while, they had met Mark at the drama club.

“You were in the drama club?” Claudia exploded in a manic laughter.

“Carlos was, I only went for support. They were really bad...”, Steve defended himself while side-eyeing his friends, who nodded with a smile.

“So, Steve, aren't you going to introduce us to your lovely friends?”, asked Mark with a charming smile. Helena could totally see how he could have been a good stage person back in the days.

“Right. Guys, this is Helena- he gestured towards her as she said hi -And the annoying redhead is Claudia.”

The tech girl scoffed and tried to punch him in the shoulder, but failed quite comically as he stepped to the side.

Helena could see the two men had many questions for Steve, but mere moments before they asked a loud music started playing along with the cheering of a crowd, saving them from having to come up with an elaborate lie about the Warehouse.

“Looks like it's starting. Shall we?” And without another word they followed Steve to the nearby street.

 

She was having fun. Not that she hadn't expected it, but still it felt strange to be so carefree. They had joined the parade right before the last truck, which was blasting loud pop music and had a ridiculous amount of colorful balloons tied right above it, and they had followed the column of people to the meeting point. She had felt dizzy at the beginning, walking in this rainbow sea of dancing, smiling people dressed in the most extravagant clothes, while passer-byes stood on both sides, clapping and waving little flags distributed by someone from a civil right association two trucks before. The dizziness had passed though, and now, here in the big square where the mass had merged, she felt content and maybe only a little out of place.

Claudia had melted in with Steve's friends perfectly and was now chatting with Carlos, loudly trying to convince him to reveal embarrassing episodes about her partner. Steve and Mark were standing a little to the side, listening to the various personalities that were alternatively talking on a small stage to inform the crowd of the latest news and activities the various college associations were going to host that night and the day after. But the audio amplification was far too weak to beat the still roaring music (better, the many different songs coming from different corners of the square) and she felt far too distracted to pay any attention. She had collected quite a lot of informative material though and was going to read it back home.

While walking along with everyone she hadn't had time to think, to process what being here really meant to her. Sometimes it was embarrassingly easy to forget where she came from, to blend in with people from this century, especially if she didn't stop to look at herself, with the modern clothes, the cellphone in her back pocket, and her heart not as heavy as it used to be. But then, without fail, memories of her past life hit her. Most times, they were related to her darkest times, after Christina. But not today. She stood there, barely seeing what was going on around her, the music and the voices buzzing in her ears, and she remembered. She remembered being a young woman in London, the tightness of her corset making it hard to breathe when she was starving for freedom; she remembered the first time she had put on a pair of trousers and had spent the night drinking liquor with a beautiful woman, a scientist; how she had felt free for the first time, after so many years trying to avert her eyes from female friends, cheeks burning in shame and guilt. Things had changed so much.

She was glad she could be here to witness this change. She only wished Myka could have come too... maybe they would have walked hand in hand, acknowledging part of what remained unsaid between them, first of all the fact that, in the end, Helena was here thanks to her.

She sat down on the sidewalk, thinking of Myka, her beautiful Myka waiting for her at home, waiting for her all this time. Myka had waited for her no matter what and just thinking about it made Helena's heart hurt. Things had changed so much during her century in bronze, but she had taken so long to adjust to the new world and she had hurt the people she loved most along the way.

She wondered if she still was hurting Myka. Many a night they had said goodbye when the air was getting too thick, heavy of words unsaid, of kisses that had waited far too long to be given. Helena loved Myka more than anything, but she was afraid. Afraid she could hurt her more, afraid to lose her, afraid to be happy at last.

Her musings were interrupted by a hand on her shoulder, and she turned her head with a start.

“Sorry, I didn't want to scare you”, Steve gave her a small smile while sitting down beside her “Are you ok?”

“Yes, I'm fine. I was just thinking. This is all a little overwhelming for me”.

Steve's hand gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze, but he didn't say anything. They sat there in silence for a moment.

Then they were interrupted again by music (modern gatherings like these sure seemed to love their music), but this time it was different, almost like cartoon music or something. After a few seconds they saw the crowd part, making room for what looked like a tiny, fairytale train painted in bright colours and draped with flags and balloons everywhere. The atmosphere changed immediately all around them.

Sitting on the train were many, many children of various age, toddlers and older kids, even babies in their parents' arms and they were all waving from the glass-less windows, bright smiles on their tiny faces.

“What is that?”, Helena asked mostly to herself “Is it some sort of school trip?”

Steve laughed lightheartedly, waving back when the train passed in front on them.

“They're children from LGBT families”, he explained patiently “Their number's increasing every year, but families like theirs are still rare. These events are important for them too, so they can meet each other.”

Helena didn't say anything, she just watched the children waving and the smiles that appeared on people's faces all around them. She felt warm.

When Steve turned to look at her, her eyes were full of tears.

 

The rest of the day passed fast. They headed to a small, insanely crowded bar full to the brim with college kids, where they sat in a corner table and listened to Steve's stories of when he and his friends were in the organizing committee for the parade. It was easy for Helena to silently nod and smile, but all the same to be a little far away with her mind.

Claudia was over-excited about everything, she kept taking pictures with her phone and when Carlos and Mark told particularly funny anecdotes about Steve's college life she practically doubled over the table laughing. Helena hadn't seen the girl look like her age in a long time.

When the drinks were finished, and the entertaining stories with them, it was getting dark and Steve said it was about time to head home. Helena nodded: as much as she had needed this amazing day, she couldn't wait to get back to Myka. Only then Claudia got up, her face looking a little goofy, because she really couldn't hold the alcohol that well.

“Wait a sec. We should take a picture of ourselves together, for Myka!”

Everyone agreed, even Mark and Carlos who had no idea who Myka was. They stopped a waitress and asked her to snap the photo.

 

“So, HG...”

They were in the car and everyone had been silent for the best part of an hour, so Helena jumped on her seat when Claudia's voice brought her back from the slow drifting off to sleep.

“Yes, dear?”, she tried to regain her charming composure.

“I was just wondering... How are things between you and Myka?”.

The tech was clearly trying to tiptoe around the question she really wanted to ask, but Helena was so not going to let herself be tricked without making the younger agent say it directly. Maybe she would just shy away and leave Helena alone with the mess that was her relationship with Myka.

“Good I guess. Why are you asking?”

“I was just wondering, you know, all those side-way glances, the heavy atmosphere when you two are in the same room alone... I mean, now that you're back for good I just thought that you two...”

“Us two what, darling?”

Even from the backseat she could see the girl's face turn a deep shade of red. Steve laughed from behind the steering wheel.

“C'mon HG! Many of your lovers were men, you saved each other's lives in more than one occasion, you came back to be with her during her recovery... Plus it's modern time, not Victorian London, you two could be together, it's as simple as that”

“It's complicated, dear”, she breathed out in a whisper.

“It doesn't have to be”, stated Steve with his calm, reassuring voice.

The man could be so irritating at times. But he was also right.

 

When they got back it was past dinner time. Pete and Abigail were watching a movie on tv while Myka was reading in the library, but they had left food for them on the stove, so they ate together around the counter top, without even bothering to lay the table. After that Claudia and Steve joined the others on the couch and Helena went to find Myka.

She stopped on the threshold of the B&B library, watching the younger agent curled in a stuffed sofa with the ever-present blanket covering her legs and a book open on her lap. Even so thin and fragile with the hair short after the chemo she was a stunning sight, enough to make the author's heart skip a beat.

Helena knocked gently on the door frame to make her presence known to the other woman, who instantly looked up from the pages and, seeing her, gave her a bright smile and patted the cushion beside herself, inviting her to sit down.

“So, how did it go? Did you have fun?”, she asked her.

“Yes, it was a wonderful day. I just wish you could have been there.”.

There was a veil of sadness in Helena's voice.

Myka slowly moved her hand to cover hers and let their fingers intertwine. The raven-haired agent looked up to find green, shiny eyes.

“I will be there next time, I promise”

And her voice was so full of hope and strength it made HG want to cry. She was home, Myka was getting better and had forgiven her, the world was changing and it was not a scary place anymore, not with the other woman's hand in her own. It didn't have to be complicated anymore.

So she just leaned forward and kissed Myka softly.

 


End file.
